Do you love facts about Calvin and Hobbes? If you’re anything like me, you’re a Calvin and Hobbes fanatic. You probably remember Spaceman Spiff and Calvin’s Invention “The Transmogriphier,” not to mention all of the crazy adventures that Calvin went on with his trusty tiger, Hobbes. We also can’t forget Calvin’s loving but fairly impatient parents or his secret crush Susie Derkins. Bill Watterson’s writing and drawings are fascinating and hilarious. I could easily read and re-read his comics over and over again and never get tired of them. Calvin’s active imagination and deep philosophical view points reached out to the kid and adult in all of us. So, prepare to be up to no good, here are 25 Amazing Facts About Calvin and Hobbes.
The main characters were named after a philosopher and a theologian
Young, hyper-active Calvin was named after theologian John Calvin, while his tiger companion, Hobbes, was named after philosopher Thomas Hobbes.
Creator Bill Watterson refused to have a movie made
According to an interview, Watterson claimed a movie of “Calvin and Hobbes” would change the way he intended the comic to be viewed.
Calvin is not based on Watterson as a child
He described himself as a well behaved child unlike his creation, mischievous Calvin.
Watterson stopped creating the comic in '95
He wanted to do different things other than write comics, like painting, studying music, and other hobbies. Mainly, he stopped because he didn’t want the comic to be repetitive.
Hobbes was modeled after Watterson's Cat
Although named after Thomas Hobbes, the character’s mannerisms are based on Bill Watterson’s cat, Sprite.
An original Calvin and Hobbes is very expensive
An original comic of “Calvin and Hobbes” by Bill Watterson holds the record for an original comic at an auction.
There was a Calvin and Hobbes textbook
It’s true. Apparently, Watterson allowed the comic to be used to help kids with learning disabilities.
Susie Derkins was named after a dog
He said the character of Susie Derkins was named after his wife’s beagle, Derkins.
Miss Wormwood was based on a devil
Calvin’s teacher Miss Wormwood was taken from a character of a C.S. Lewis novel called “The Screwtape Letters.” The character called “Wormwood” was the devil’s apprentice.
The first publication of Calvin and Hobbes
“Calvin and Hobbes” was first published on November 18th, 1985. However, the publications told Bill Watterson to not put all his eggs in one basket by quitting his day job. Of course, we all know the comic became a huge crowd pleaser.
Calvin and Hobbes have been friends a while
Technically, if the strip was still being published, the characters would be celebrating 34 years of friendship. Although, they definitely wouldn’t look like it.
Pants are overatted created a grown up Calvin
“Bacon and Hobbes” is the story of Calvin and Susie’s daughter Bacon and her adventures with Hobbes. The comic is not approved or written by Bill Watterson.
Controversy with Calvin auto decal
You probably have seen Calvin peeing on the back of cars. Although most of it is in good humor, in the late ’90s, the state of South Carolina didn’t think so, and ticketed drivers who had it.
Bill Watterson was the youngest person to win the Rubeun Award in '86
He won again in 1988 and was nominated in 1992. He was the youngest person to win Cartoonist of the Year from the National Cartoonist Society.
Stephen King wrote Watterson a fan letter
Apparently, the king of horror was a big fan of the comic. Thankfully, he never tried to make a Calvin and Hobbes movie. Can you imagine?
Hobbes rarely calls Calvin by his name
There doesn’t appear to be a reason for this, but if you go back and read the comics, you’ll see it very rarely happens. Maybe once or twice.
Bill Watterson and Zits co-creator Jim Borgman went to the same college
Borgman was a few years older than Watterson, but they both had the same drawing teacher.
No offical Calvin and Hobbes Toys
Although there have been many carbon copies made, Bill Watterson refused to sell the rights to have official Calvin and Hobbes toys to be made and sold.
Calvin was originally a spaceman
While Watterson was unemployed, he came up with a comic about a loudmouth spaceman and his not so bright assistant. This duo would become the prototype for Calvin and Hobbes.
Bill Watterson was a big Peanuts fan
Obviously, the comic strip “Peanuts.” He might have enjoyed the snack, too. Watterson was a fan of Schultz’s expressive drawings.
The original works are kept in a museum
Many of the original “Calvin and Hobbes” artwork is kept at the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library and Museum at Ohio State University. Jenny Robb, a curator at the museum and cartoon expert, was able to get a short interview with Watterson; he was known to dislike doing interviews.
The books have sold millions of copies
The comic has been printed in over 2,000 newspapers and over 45 million “Calvin and Hobbes” books have been sold.
Bill Watterson won highest cartoon award
In 2014, Bill Watterson was given the Angoulême Grand Prix, which is the highest honor a cartoonist can receive. He was the second American to win this award.
Calvin and Hobbes was a stamp
In 2010, a bunch of comics from “Calvin and Hobbes” to “Garfield” appeared on a collection of stamps called Sunday Funnies.
Calvin is the inventor of the game CalvinBall
If you read the comics, then you’ll remember Calvin was not that great at sports and invented the game “Calvinball,” where the players make up rules as they go along.